The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for a printing system. More specifically, the invention relates to a cleaning device for the manufacture of printing systems.
Cross reference is made to the following application filed concurrently herewith: U.S. application Ser. No. 09/371,765, abandoned, entitled xe2x80x9cAn Apparatus and Method for Cleaning a Soft Surface with a Chilled Mediumxe2x80x9d by Rajiv S. Agarwala et al.
The features of the present invention are useful in the printing arts and more particularly in electrophotographic printing. In the well-known process of electrophotographic printing, a charge retentive surface, typically known as a photoreceptor, is electrostatically charged, and then exposed to a light pattern of an original image to selectively discharge the surface in accordance therewith. The resulting pattern of charged and discharged areas on the photoreceptor form an electrostatic charge pattern, known as a latent image, conforming to the original image. The latent image is developed by contacting it with a finely divided electrostatically attractable powder known as xe2x80x9ctoner.xe2x80x9d Toner is held on the image areas by the electrostatic charge on the photoreceptor surface. Thus, a toner image is produced in conformity with a light image of the original being reproduced. The toner image may then be transferred to a substrate or support member (e.g., paper), and the image affixed thereto by fusing the toner image to the paper to form a permanent record of the image to be reproduced. Subsequent to development, excess toner left on the charge retentive surface is cleaned from the surface. The process is useful for light lens copying from an original or printing electronically generated or stored originals such as with a raster output scanner (ROS), where a charged surface may be imagewise discharged in a variety of ways.
Increasingly, machines and components are being recycled. The machines or components are removed from service and returned to the original manufacturer or to remanufacturing facilities where the machines are disassembled and components inspected. Components which may be reused into a newly remanufactured machine or component are then cleaned and repainted and any other processing step is performed on the component so that it may be reused.
One of the steps in reutilizing used components for remanufacturing is to clean those components. Often these used components are very difficult to clean. The difficulty in cleaning used components may be because the labels may be securely adhered to the components and be difficult to remove. Also the components may be made of a soft material, for example a plastic which may be easily damaged.
Often the components are cleaned through the use of a chemical process which may cause less damage to the surface of the soft material and be effective in removing the label and the adhesive used for the label from the component.
One such process is the use of LTS chemical solution. The mechanical component may be dipped in the solution for an extended period of time say from 4 to 6 hours. To remove the solution from the component, the component may be dipped in water. The label, if any on the component, must then be manually removed by scraping off the label with a blade. After the majority of the label has been removed manually by the blade, Lysol(trademark) or a similar component, for example, XTC, is used to remove the remaining adhesive residue on the component. Once the adhesive has been removed from the component, the operation is complete and the component is sent to a parts washer for cleaning.
The process for cleaning soft components and for removing labels is very slow and time consuming. Also, chemicals may be required which require special handling which may require additional capital equipment and necessitate additional costs for the manufacturing process. Further, the use of blades and knives to physically remove the label is slow and time consuming. Further, the use of blades and knives may cause damage to the component surface.
Further, this process is slow and time consuming requiring many operators to perform this function in high capacity productive environments. Further, the chemical byproducts from this process must be safely handled and disposed.
The present invention is directed to alleviate at least some of the aforementioned problems.
The following disclosures may be relevant to various aspects of the present invention:
U.S. Pat. No. 5,853,128 discloses a method of removing photoresist or redeposited material from a substrate or other surface using a carbon dioxide jet spray. A substrate having photoresist or redeposited material on its surface is disposed in an environmental enclosure. A carbon dioxide jet spray is generated and directed onto the surface of the substrate and photoresist or redeposited material. The carbon dioxide jet spray cools or freezes the material and causes a mismatch in the thermal coefficient of expansion of the material and the substrate. The material debonds from the substrate due to the induced thermal shock to the material. This rapid shrinkage loosens the material and allows the solid particles in the spray to knock the material from the surface of the substrate. The removed photoresist or redeposited material may be collected in a filter, and removed.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,782,263 discloses a system is provided for removing material from a structure having at least one layer of the material formed on a substrate. The system includes a radiant energy source, such as a flashlamp, with an actively cooled reflector for irradiating a target area of a structure with radiant energy, preferably sufficiently intense in at least the visible and ultraviolet, to break or weaken chemical bonds in the material, and an abrasive blaster for impinging the material after irradiation with a cool particle stream, preferably including of CO2 particles, to remove the irradiated material and cool the substrate. The system may also include light sensors used in a feedback loop to control the removal process by varying the speed at which the radiant energy source is moved along the structure, the repetition rate of the source, the intensity of the source, the pulse width of the source and/or the distance between the source and the structure.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,766,368 discloses a method of cleaning an integrated circuit chip module prior to attaching wire bonds thereto. The method involves disposing a module containing an integrated circuit chip and IC bond pads without wire bonds in an environmental process enclosure. A carbon dioxide jet spray cleaning system having a spray nozzle and orifice assembly is disposed the environmental process enclosure. A jet spray of carbon dioxide is generated using the jet spray cleaning system. The carbon dioxide jet spray is directed onto the surface of the module such that the spray impacts the IC bond pads and module bond pads to clean unwanted adhesive from the surface of the module and thus clean the IC and module bond pads.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,514,024 discloses a CO2 nozzle which expels liquid CO2 under pressure through an orifice therein for converting the liquid into CO2 snow. The CO2 nozzle is contained within an elongated mixing cavity within a body which is coupled to an exhaust nozzle for directing the CO2 snow toward the workpiece. The CO2 nozzle includes several wings for creating aerodynamic turbulence within the elongated mixing cavity for enhancing the coagulation of the CO2 snow into larger CO2 snow particles or CO2 snowflakes.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,431,740 discloses an apparatus for cleaning cylindrical surfaces includes a plurality of cleaning stations. Each cleaning station is designed to receive a substrate and includes a plurality of nozzles. The inlet end of each nozzle is connected to a source of liquid Carbon Dioxide, and the outlet end of each nozzle is connected to one end of a respective Carbon Dioxide expansion chamber. Liquid Carbon dioxide leaving each nozzle is converted to solid Carbon Dioxide in the corresponding expansion chamber. The other end of each Carbon Dioxide expansion chamber is coupled to a respective funnel which is, in turn, connected to a dispersing saddle. The dispersing saddles disperse the stream of solid Carbon Dioxide particles leaving each funnel and direct these particles to the substrate surface. The dispersing saddles are placed such that the entire circumference of the substrate surface is enveloped within the various streams of solid Carbon Dioxide particles. In addition, the apparatus may include a source of a dry nonreactive gas which is introduced into each stream of solid Carbon Dioxide particles in order to reduce condensation on the surface from the surface of the substrate and to further direct each stream of solid Carbon Dioxide particles to the substrate surface.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,372,652 discloses an aerosol cleaning apparatus for cleaning a substrate includes an aerosol producing means having a nozzle head. The nozzle head is positioned at a selected proximity and orientation to the substrate which is held by a rotatable holder. The aerosol spray dislodges particles from the substrate and the rotation of the substrate further assists in the removal of the loosened particles. A method of aerosol cleaning includes rotating a substrate at a preselected speed and spraying an aerosol jet in conjunction with the rotation.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,209,028 discloses an apparatus for cleaning semi-conductor solid surfaces using a spray of frozen cryogen, such as argon, to impinge on the solid surface to remove contaminant particles. The apparatus includes an appropriate nozzle positioned in a housing designed for ultra clean conditions including sweep gas supply and evacuation conduits and a support table movably positioned within the housing to controllably convey the semi-conductor solid surface on a track under the spray of frozen cryogen emanating from the nozzle.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,062,898 discloses a method is disclosed for cleaning microelectronics surfaces using an aerosol of at least substantially solid argon particles which impinge upon the surface to be cleaned and then evaporate and the resulting gas is removed by venting along with the contaminants dislodged by the cleaning method.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,426,311 discloses Methylene chloride-methane sulfonic acid compositions used in removing polymeric organic substances from inorganic substrates, such as polymeric adhesives from metal and lens glass parts and positive and negative photoresists from metallized silicon/silicon dioxide wafers, which comprise an effective amount, usually about 1 to 40 percent by weight methane sulfonic acid and the balance methylene chloride are described. Methods for using the above composition at ambient temperatures to remove the polymeric organic substances from the metal and non-metallic inorganic substrates are also described.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,4,191,201 discloses plastic film cartridges generally comprise a variety of component parts plus a label affixed by adhesive to the cartridge housing. The cartridge housing (a plastic) is recyclable when the label and adhesive are removed and the housing is separated from the other non-compatible plastic and non-plastic cartridge components. In accordance with the invention, multi-stage reclaiming apparatus is disclosed wherein film cartridges are first rough chopped to provide physical separation of the cartridge components. The cartridge housing pieces are separated from other cartridge components on the basis of differences in specific gravity in a series of specific gravity separation tanks. To remove the labels and adhesive from the housing pieces, a separation tank contains a detergent solution capable of assisting in dissolving the adhesive. The tank is provided with a group of heating elements to cause the detergent solution to boil in the immediate vicinity thereof. As housing pieces travel past the heating elements they are rolled around, swirled and submerged and each housing piece with a label portion adhered thereto is exposed to the boiling detergent solution. The adhesive is thus dissolved and the label portions are driven off the housing pieces.
All the above references totally incorporated herein by reference.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for removing labels from a housing. The apparatus includes a tank for storing a medium at a pressure above ambient pressure. The apparatus also includes a medium conduit in communication with the tank for transporting the medium therefrom. The conduit defines a opening therein. The medium exiting the conduit at the opening is adapted to remove labels from the housing.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for cleaning a housing. The apparatus includes a tank for storing a carbon dioxide at a pressure higher than ambient pressure and a medium conduit. The medium conduit is in communication with the tank for transporting the medium therefrom. The medium conduit defines a opening therein. The medium exiting the conduit at the opening being is in at least partially a solid form and is adapted to remove labels from the housing. The medium conduit is adapted to transform the compressed fluid medium from a liquid to a solid. At least one of the medium conduit and said tank are adapted to provide the medium in the form of pellets. The apparatus further includes at least one of an enclosure for containing debris from the cleaning of the housing and for containing the medium and a nozzle extending from the conduit at the opening thereof. The apparatus also includes an air conduit for transporting compressed air from a compressed air source and a venturi operably associated with the conduit and with the medium conduit for mixing compressed air with the medium.
In accordance with yet another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for removing labels from a housing. The method includes the steps of supplying a medium at a pressure higher than ambient pressure, transporting the medium through a conduit, transforming the medium at least partially to a solid, and adapting the medium to remove labels from the housing.